Is shortening the prayer limited to a specific duration?

The questioner : Yes, yes. In fact, if this were established, it would have resolved a major difficulty in the issue of shortening the prayer, because those who argue for it say that it was not through revelation. On this basis, the matter of shortening the prayer could be limited to a specific duration, for example.

The Shaykh : Yes, this is not correct. The fact that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived on this day without saying, "I was commanded to arrive on this day," indicates the opposite.

The questioner : They argue that he left Madinah and returned to it while revelation was being sent to him in his movements, in his departure, and in his arrival, and in

The Shaykh : and in the stops during his journey.

The questioner : They argued that his arrival on the twentieth day was a unique practice, a unique command, and if it were established that there was consensus, it would have solved the problem.

The Shaykh : There is no doubt that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) departed from Madinah on the twenty-fifth of Dhul Hijjah, and that he traveled at the usual pace of travelers. Revelation requires proof. Was the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded by revelation every time he stopped during a journey in a place? If that were the case, we would say that it is recommended for a person to leave Madinah, for example, on the twenty-fifth, or at least to arrive in Makkah on the fourth day. I have not known any scholar to say that it is recommended for his arrival in Makkah to be on the fourth day.

The questioner : So what requires proof? Is it the revelation? Yes.

The Shaykh : No, yes, no, it is not revelation, because if it were revelation, it would be a Sunnah.